The classroom buzzed with the chatter of students pairing off for the group assignment. Voices overlapped, laughter echoed, and yet, I stood there — alone. Every gaze that met mine darted away instantly, as if I were a taboo they shouldn't indulge in.

"Come on, guys, find your partners quickly. We have a lot to cover today!" Mrs. Lawson, our English teacher, urged from her desk. She skimmed the room, her eyes locking onto each paired group, smiling as if she'd orchestrated the perfect harmony. Then her gaze met mine, and her smile faltered for a moment. Her eyes darted away, returning to her stack of papers. The silence around me thickened, every second stretching longer than the last.

My face burned an invisible inferno that I sensed but couldn't witness. My shoes scraped against the floor as I shifted uncomfortably, scanning the room one more time. A glimmer of hope flickered, only to be extinguished by my classmates' quick, dismissive glances. Their body language broadcast a clear message: "Unavailable."

"Alright, if everyone has a partner, let's begin." Mrs. Lawson's voice carried through the room, each word a pointed reminder of my solitude.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Lawson," I interrupted, my voice tinged with desperation. "May I use the restroom, please?"

She looked up, her eyes meeting mine with a mixture of relief and pity. "Of course, Kei. Take your time."

I grabbed my backpack from the desk as nonchalantly as I could, my movements betraying my eagerness to escape. The classroom door seemed miles away, each step weighted by the eyes I felt on my back, each glance a brand on my already scorched self-esteem. When I finally turned the handle and stepped into the corridor, I felt like I'd broken free from a suffocating cage. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing my classmates and their unspoken judgments on the other side.

I walked down the hallway, enveloped in a quiet that was louder than any of the classroom's buzz I'd left behind. The rumor – that malicious, baseless rumor – seemed to echo off the lockers as I passed. It had started with a simple case of mistaken identity; someone wearing a jacket like mine and a mask to hide their identity had been seen defacing the cherished school mural, a piece of art that took months of dedication and teamwork. And somehow, in the whirlwind of school gossip, that masked someone became me.

I had been at a dentist's appointment, miles away, as my mother could readily attest. But the rumor mill had no interest in alibis or facts. Now, branded as a vandal, every glance from my peers was a mixture of curiosity and condemnation. The loneliness that had always been a quiet companion now carried the burden of an accusation, one that turned solitude into exile. In the court of student opinion, I had been tried and found guilty without ever being asked for my defense.

Approaching the restroom, I contemplated my reflection in the mirror — just some ordinary guy, unremarkable in every sense. Yet, as I stared, a thought nagged at me: if only I wasn't so weak, so isolated. If only I had the power, the strength to stand against the rumors. Alone and weak, I was just a target, but with power... with power, I could change everything! The idea pulsed through me, a mix of longing and frustration, as I splashed cold water on my face.

The cold water dripped from my chin as I met my own gaze in the mirror. Now, how could I stretch the minutes so I wouldn't have to go back to that classroom too soon? Ideas flickered through my mind as I wiped my face with a paper towel: Should I stall by meticulously washing my hands? Maybe re-tie my shoelaces in the most complex knots I could muster? With my mind going over these thoughts, I slowly wandered into a random stall and locked the door behind me.

As I walked into the stall, my eyes caught sight of the toilet paper roll mounted on the wall. I reached for it. It struck me as an utterly mundane object, yet I found myself pulling at it, unrolling it, and then rolling it back. It became a mindless game, a silly diversion. Maybe I could fashion it into some sort of origami figure — a swan, perhaps? The whimsical thought drew a half-smile across my face.

Just then, a shrill beeping noise shattered the quiet of the restroom, and I suddenly lost my vision.

A second later, a wall of white text on a blue background suddenly slammed into my vision.

INTEGRATION OF PLANET NUMBER 5,435 DESIGNATED EARTH HAS STARTED.

THE ESTIMATED TIME FOR INTEGRATION IS 30 SECONDS.

CREATING SPAWN LOCATIONS...10 SECONDS TO COMPLETION.

I blinked hard, trying to dispel the glaring text, but it lingered. My mind reeled with confusion and disbelief. Was this some sort of prank? Some new form of augmented reality tech? But who would —

CREATION OF SPAWN LOCATIONS COMPLETED.

CREATING SHOP LOCATIONS...10 SECONDS TO COMPLETION.

My heart pounded in my chest as I read the new lines of text, my mind struggling to process what "spawn locations" and "shop locations" even meant in this bizarre context. The absurdity of the situation clashed with the undeniable reality of the words flashing before my eyes, leaving me torn between panic and utter disbelief.

CREATION OF SHOP LOCATIONS COMPLETED.

CREATING SANCTUARY LOCATIONS...10 SECONDS TO COMPLETION.

Sanctuary locations? The words flashed before me, heightening my sense of unreality. My grip tightened around the roll of toilet paper as if it could anchor me back to a world that made sense.

CREATION OF SANCTUARY LOCATIONS COMPLETED.

PLANET NUMBER 5,435 DESIGNATED EARTH HAS BEEN INTEGRATED.

The blinding text vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving my vision to swim back into focus. A pulse of relief surged through me — until a new transparent blue screen display materialized in front of me:

You have spawned in a sanctuary location.

Sanctuary locations are locations for players to rest and recuperate. Health, stamina, and mana regen are increased by 1000% while you're inside a sanctuary location. Monsters aren't able to enter sanctuary locations. A maximum of 10 players are allowed per location. Players must be level 10 or above to enter these locations. Sanctuary locations are warped to random locations every 30 days.

Days left until warp: 30 days.

Before I could even finish reading it, the blue screen abruptly turned a menacing shade of red and began to shake erratically. My eyes widened as I tried to make sense of this alarming change.

ERROR. Sanctuary locations require level 10 or higher to enter.

CALCULATING... Your current level is 1.

ERROR. Your level is too low to exist in the sanctuary.

CALCULATING... SOLUTION FOUND.

Erasing the current player from existence to fix this error.